Tag: periodization
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Speed Periodization: Why “Fast” Isn’t One-dimensional
Speed periodization is usually skipped entirely: most programs list “speed work” as one line item. Acceleration, max velocity, and change of direction are mechanically distinct qualities with different force demands and timelines. This article covers the force-velocity profiling method for identifying which quality an athlete needs, and how to sequence the three inside a training…
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Concurrent Training and the Interference Effect
Field-sport athletes need strength and endurance at once, and research on the concurrent training interference effect shows why training both together can blunt strength gains. This article covers the AMPK/mTOR mechanism, what modality and timing change, and how to sequence sessions to manage the interference rather than eliminate either quality.
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Tapering and Muscle Fibers: What Changes Pre-Competition
The final two weeks before competition are not just reduced training. Fast, powerful type IIx fibers revert from the fatigue-resistant profile built by heavy loading, glycogen supercompensates, and accumulated fatigue clears. This article covers the physiology behind an effective taper and the volume and duration ranges the research supports.
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Unilateral vs Bilateral Training: Is One Better?
Online debate treats unilateral versus bilateral training as a real fork in the road. A 2025 meta-analysis pooling every controlled comparison gives a precise answer: no hypertrophy difference, and strength gains that follow the exact pattern trained. This article covers the findings and how to apply them.
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When the Plan Meets the Athlete: Autoregulation in Practice
Autoregulation adjusts training to the athlete in front of you rather than to numbers set weeks ago. This article covers the main methods, what the evidence supports, and the reporting distortion that quietly undermines every one of them.
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The Off-Season Is Not Optional
Skipping or shortening the off-season carries a measurable physiological cost. This article covers what the research on detraining shows, how much recovery time athletes actually need, and how to structure the off-season as its own periodized phase.
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The Taper Nobody Gets Right
Tapering is one of the most researched parts of competition preparation, and one of the most frequently mishandled. Here is what the evidence supports as a default, why a fixed formula still produces inconsistent results, and the adjustment most taper plans skip.
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The Lactate Threshold Myth: Why Most Coaches Set Training Zones Wrong
Lactate threshold is treated as a single number in most training plans, when it is actually two distinct physiological transitions. Here is what LT1 and LT2 represent, why the zone between them is commonly misclassified, and why zones need to move as an athlete adapts.
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Why You Can Do the Same Workout for Months and Stop Getting Results
Consistency is supposed to be the answer. But the most disciplined athletes often plateau hardest. Here’s what the SAID principle, progressive overload, and adaptation science say about why — and what to do about it.
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What Elite Coaches Do Differently (And Why Most Coaches Never Figure It Out)
What separates elite coaches from everyone else isn’t experience or talent — it’s systems. Four principles from peer-reviewed research that define world-class coaching practice.